DAWSONVILLE — Sid Maxwell and Dawson County haven't had much time together, but each likes what it has seen from the other so far.
"These kids have worked so hard and have given me their full commitment since I got here," said Maxwell, who took over the program after last year's tough 2-8 campaign that saw the Tigers fall far below expectations.
It hasn't been easy, however, as the Tigers have embarked on a crash course to learn Maxwell's style of spread attack on offense and pressure defense -- all the while working around construction delays that have kept players from the full compliment of facilities they normally enjoy.
No one is complaining, however, and Maxwell says he is more than pleased with the steps taken by his charges and coaching staff over the summer and fall preseason weeks.
"We're focusing on getting better step by step, each day," Maxwell said.
DAWSON COUNTY: NEED TO KNOW
- MASCOT: Tigers
- TEAM COLORS: Maroon and Gold
- CURRENT REGION: 7-AAA
- HEAD COACH/RECORD AT SCHOOL: Sid Maxwell, first season
- 2014 RECORD/ ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 2-8
- KEY LOSSES: OL Corbin Thomas, OL Cole Smith, WR Dalton Edwards, OLB Richard Palmer
- OFFENSIVE STYLE: Spread/multiple -- The Tigers will look to open things up and blend speed on the perimeter with power in the ground game.
- KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS: 5 returning starters -- Sr. RB Andrew Goley, So. QB Coey Watson, Sr. OL A.J. Manor, Jr. WR Austin Young
- DEFENSIVE STYLE: Multiple -- Dawson County will look to put pressure on opposing offenses from multiple angles.
- KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS: 6 returning starters -- Sr. CB Hunter Mitchell, Jr. LB Luke Martin, Jr. FS Dylan Nix, Jr. FS Colin Glover
- SPECIAL TEAMS: Placekicking and punting duties still undecided as of publication time.
- STRENGTH: Commitment/desire -- Maxwell says he has been mightily impressed by his players' willingness to work and learn their new systems, as well as their desire to get better.
- QUESTION: Learning curve -- With a new head coach and the systems he's installing, players are working hard to get things down, but a summer of construction has also limited some of the work the Tigers could accomplish.
- KEY GAMES: With so many new things on the table, the season opener against a Class AAAAA school in Forsyth Central will be intriguing for all involved. The Region 7-AAA opener against a talented West Hall (Sept. 25, away) will also provide a stern test and barometer of the squad's improvement to that point.
- TRENDING: After a period of consistently challenging for the postseason (combined record of 16-15 over the 2011-13 seasons), Dawson County took a step back last season. Maxwell, who put up a record of 128-83 in 21 seasons combined at Sequoyah and Lambert -- including 11 state playoff appearances -- hopes to turn that back around.
2015 SCHEDULE
Aug. 28 vs. Forsyth Central
Sept. 4 at Gilmer
Sept. 11 vs. Heritage, Catoosa
Sept. 25 at *West Hall
Oct. 2 at *East Hall
Oct. 9 vs. *Franklin County
Oct. 16 at *Fannin County
Oct. 23 vs. *Banks County
Oct. 30 vs. *Lumpkin County
Nov. 6 at Johnson
* - Indicates region contest
(All kickoffs scheduled for 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/8/327856/2015-football-preview-dawson-county